Profile of a psychic

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(photo by Violet Snow)

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“We are all psychic, even animals,” says Rose, a psychic, sitting in her storefront on Mill Hill Road in Woodstock. “We all have intuition, a sixth sense. Most women find it during their childrearing years, when the mothering instinct kicks in. If men would tune in to their psychic abilities more, it would be good for the world.”

Rose, a fifth-generation psychic, learned her craft from her mother on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. She has been practicing for 32 years, since the age of 15. In addition to her intuitive abilities, she uses a variety of tools, from crystals to tarot cards, to understand her clients’ problems and provide them with advice.

The number-one issue they want help with is love. Money is second, she says. Health is third, then family. “It freaks me out how people put money in front of blood relations.”

Rose reads auras, she says, seeing layers of colors around the client’s body and sensing the attendant energy. “From the aura, I learn about their insecurities, fears, challenges, strengths, weaknesses.”

She pauses, looking at me. “Your aura is very bright. You’re connected to your psychic abilities, and you’re very spiritual. But it’s a little darkened around the edges, as if your energy is being slightly drained.”

Rose can occasionally read minds, pick up names, dates, places, events that have unfolded in their lives. “I can channel, too,” she says. “Ancestors, people we’ve loved or who’ve loved us. The real loves come through.”

To help couples communicate, she does soulmate readings, in the manner of a therapist or marriage counselor. “Men and women are the same species, but they’re different mammals. They are born with different chemicals in their bodies.”

She hands me a long quartz crystal and tells me to warm it in my hands. When I give it back, she holds onto it and starts talking about me.